The Nest tells us that pretty people have problems too

IFC Films

There’s a fun term, ‘rich people problems’, that is often used for people like the Kardashians or the aristocracy from The Crown or the rich creeps from Succession. But although it can be sometimes a bit tricky to empathize with the absurdly wealthy, the parallel concept of ‘pretty people problems’ is a lot easier, as we see their ilk in most mainstream movies. Similarly the idea of ‘wanting to be rich’ is the sort of thing most people can relate to, even as we ponder what we might have to sacrifice to get there.

The Nest comes from writer/director Sean Durkin, in his second film directorial feature, and it tells the story of a family having some trouble. It’s the late 1980s, and father Rory O’Hara (Jude Law) is a sort of struggling trader, while his wife Allison (Carrie Coon) works with horses. They also have two children, pre-teen Ben (Charlie Shotwell) and teen Samantha (Oona Roche), although they aren’t quite as well defined.

At first, things seem nice for the family in America, with Rory an engaging parent and affectionate husband, but things change when he essentially forces them to move to London because of a financial opportunity. Rory is charming and chatty, but incredibly ambitious, never satisfied with where he is — and much of the movie is this arc, the attempt to understand what he really craves.

Eventually we learn more of his backstory and can empathize a bit more, but for a while Rory seems to act in a way that is increasingly manic and aggressive. They have moved to a drafty, overly huge mansion in Surrey, near the greenery and forestry, but it has a creepy, eerie vibe that is unsettling. Although Rory pushes an overwhelming cheer and talks about all of his many expenditures, it’s hanging by a thread.

At work, Rory pushes drastic new work ideas that put him in increasingly precarious positions, while even the new horse Allison is given has troubles of its own. The parents are spending less time with their children and less time with each other, and it seems it’s all headed for catastrophe.

But ultimately the movie has a fairly heartwarming message, despite it’s thriller-adjacent aesthetic. The real important piece isn’t financial success, it’s the family, and it’s important not to forget that before it’s too late. The movie has an interesting flow to it, with a sort of rising dread for a while, that is mostly handled well. There are a lot of potential areas for more depth with the characters that aren’t really delved into, leaving much of the characterization a bit thin.

What is helped is the excellent acting work from the leads, people who care about each other but are still hurting each other. There are other odd choices — the choice to be in the 80s doesn’t really seem to have much of a point, either aesthetically or thematically and it’s hard to understand why that was chosen.

But overall, the movie is fairly well constructed, and although it’s not really a ‘thriller’ as it seems to be marketed, it has enough of a rise and fall tension that it will keep you entertained, as you hope that Jude Law’s character hasn’t screwed things up entirely and that the family might survive.

Planning to see The Nest? Click on the image below to see the movie, and be sure to come back and tell us what you thought!

The Nest has a run time of 1 hour 47 minutes and is rated R for language throughout, some sexuality, nudity and teen partying.